Method for processing oysters



March 8, 1966 J. M. JURISICH METHOD FOR PROCESSING OYSTERS Filed Oct. 18, 1963 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH M. JURISICH I I, jll I ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,238,560 METHOD FORPROCESSING OYSTERS Joseph M. Jurisich, 1039 Toulouse St., New Orleans 16, La. Filed Oct. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 317,308 3 Claims. (CI. 17-45) This invention relates to a method of processing mollusks and more particularly comprises a new and improved method of treating raw oysters in a manner which enables them to be further processed with a minimum of skill and which retards their deterioration.

With the exception of the Gulf of Mexico, the source of oysters in the continental waters of North America has been severely depleted. This condition is particularly acute along the East Coast of the United States. As a result, packers in the northeastern portion of the country have begun purchasing in quantity oysters in the shell from the areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Conventionally, the shipments are made from the Gulf area to their destination in the northeast by refrigerated trucks and the trip normally takes from 3 to 5 days, during which period substantial spoilage may occur. This spoilage is accelerated by silt and marine growth attached to the oyster shells.

One important object of this invention is to provide a method of removing silt and marine growth from the shells of oysters to retard oyster deterioration.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a method of separating the healthier oysters in the shell from those of inferior quality.

Yet another important object of this invention is to provide a method of processing raw oysters so that they may be opened with a minimum of skill so that labor costs may be minimized. The need for only minimum labor skills is essential if the oysters are to be processed economically in the north.

A more general object of this invention is to provide a method of increasing the storage life of raw oysters in the shell.

To accomplish these and other objects, my invention includes among its many features a rotating drum and a pipe that extends axially through the drum and against which the oysters in the drum are tumbled during the -"drum rotation. The pipe serves both as a source of cleaning liquid and as a mechanical cleaner by discharging a solution into the drum and by carrying spikes that extend radially outwardly from its outer surface.

In accordance with the method of this invention the oysters are tumbled in a batch to remove the contaminants on the oyster shells and to open those oysters of weaker and therefore inferior quality. The mechanical agitation loosens the contaminants and opens the weaker shells, and simultaneously the oysters are washed by the continuous flow of cleaning solution through them.

These and other objects and features of this invention along with its incident advantages will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view partly in section of an oyster treating machine constructed in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and illustrated in the manner in which the machine treats oysters placed in it.

The machine shown in the drawing is supported on a frame and includes a drum 12, a pipe 14 extending axially through and supporting the drum, a drive 16 for Patented Mar. 8, 1966 "ice rotating the pipe and drum, and a source 18 of solution for cleaning and for treating the contents of the drum.

The drum 12 is generally cylindrical in shape and may conveniently be approximately 4' in diameter and 10' long. The surface or cylindrical wall 20 of the drum is covered with a lattice of openings 22 approximately 1 /2" in diameter and spaced about 6" apart, measured from center to center. Preferably the entire cylindrical wall 20 of the drum is provided with the openings 22.

A door 24 is mounted by hinges 26 on the cylindrical wall. The door which extends substantially the full length of the drum allows the drum to be loaded and unloaded conveniently. It is apparent that during loading, the drum should be so oriented that the door is at or near the top, and when emptying the drum through the door, the door should be at the lowermost position.

The pipe 14 which extends through and supports the drum for rotation on the frame 10 may be approximately 4" in diameter. In the drawing welds are suggested at 28 for securing the pipe 14 and drum together. The pipe 14 is perforated as shown at 30 and serves as a spray to discharge solution into the drum supplied from the liquid source 18. The ends of the pipe which extend beyond the vertical ends 32 of the drum are supported in bearing assemblies 34 on the frame. A motor 36 forming part of the drive assembly is mounted on the right side of the frame as viewed in FIG. 1, and its shaft carries a drive gear 38 which registers With a driven gear 40 on the right end of the pipe 14. Thus the motor rotates the drum 12 by turning the pipe. The motor 36 may rotate the drum at speeds from approximately 10 to 50 rpm.

A plurality of spikes 42 are welded or otherwise secured to the outer surface of the pipe 14 and extend radially therefrom as is shown in FIG. 2. The spikes 42 do not interfere with the discharge of cleaning liquid through the orifices 30 as the two may be alternately spaced along the length of the pipe. The liquid discharged through the orifices 30 is supplied to the pipe from the source 18. In the embodiment illustrated the source includes a pump 44 which conveys liquid from the inlet line 46 to the pipe 14. The pump is necessary when the solution used is not under pressure; that is, when the liquid used is stored in a reservoir below the height of the pipe. When city water or other liquid under pressure is used, the pump is unnecessary. It is of course obvious that the necessary packing glands etc. for connecting the pump to the rotating pipe 14 are incorporated in the structure.

A pair of parallel baffles 50 and 50 are displaced approximately from one another on and extend along the full length of the inner surface of the drum between the end walls 32. The baffies 50 on the inside of the drum are provided to carry the oysters from the bottom to the top of the drum and tumble them onto the pipe 14. This is suggested in FIG. 2 where the oysters are shown tumbling down from the uppermost bafile 50' onto the pipe 14.

Having described the apparatus of this invention in detail the manner in which it is used to practice the method of this invention will now be readily understood. As stated in the introduction, deterioration of the oysters can be postponed if they are free of silt and marine growth attached to their shells. Further, it is axiomatic that healthier oysters will last longer before deteriorating than those oysters of lesser strength. These facts form the basis for the process of this invention. In use, an operator partially fills the drum 12 by loading the raw oysters in the shell through the door 24 when the door is in the approximate position shown in FIG. 1. After loading the drum the door is closed, the motor is turned on and the liquid supply is directed to the pipe 14. As the drum rotates the baffles 50 pick up the oysters from the bottom of the drum and carry them to the top as shown in FIG. 2 where they spill off the baffle onto the pipe 14 and the spikes 42 carried on it. Further, the oysters in the shell are sprayed by the solution discharging through the orifices 30 in the pipe. If the oysters are left in the drum for a long enough period the shells of all the oysters may gap to make it particularly easy for them to be opened by hand later. The agitation of the oysters, the PCXPOSUIG of theoysters to the cleaning solution, and the impacting of the oysters against the pipe and spikes loosens the marine growth which attaches to the shells and washes the silt from them. Moreover, the weaker shells will split open by the impact against the pipe. Thus, the undesirable meats from the weaker oysters as well as the silt and the marine growth, are separated from the healthy oysters and discharged from the drum. The liquid and the undesirable materials separated from the healthy oysters is flushed through the openings 22 onto the floor beneath the drum.

The operator will leave the oysters in the drum for a period of time determined by the particular functions he wishes to achieve by the processing of them. Thus, if he desires merely to clean the oysters and remove the marine growth from the shells, he may process them in the drum for but a few minutes, but if he desires not only to clean the oysters and separate the weaker oysters from those which are stronger but gap them as well, they may be processed in the drum for or minutes. After the processing has continued for a period of time determined by the operator to be sufficient, the drum is stopped with the door 24 in the lowermost position, the door 24 is opened and the contents is discharged onto the floor or -"some means (not shown) beneath the drum so that they may be carried to another location. It is of course understood that prior to the opening of the door 24 the material previously discharged through the openings 22 of the drum during processing must be cleaned away.

The solution used to clean the oysters will vary depending upon what other results are to be achieved. A salt ice water solution used to clean the oysters will also maintain the dark color of the meat, which is demanded by the southern market. Fresh water used in the cleaning solution will whiten the meat and thus render a product preferred in the northern market. The solution may also contain chemicals for lengthening the shelf life of the oyster meats.

From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that numerous advantages are achieved by the use of this method. Marine growth, silt and other sources of contamination are eliminated. Oysters of inferior quality are separated from those of superior quality before they are directed to those who open the oysters. Those who subsequently open the oysters by hand do not pick up contaminates which can adversely affect an entire batch of oysters, for the oysters are delivered to them free of all contaminants. Further, by the use of this method and apparatus an oyster plant can be maintained clean and odorless. The gentle method of cleaning oysters allows for a period of washing before the oyster shell relaxes 1. A method of selectively separating inferior oysters from those of better quality comprising the steps of dropping oysters and impacting said oysters during their descent with sufiicient force to completely open only the shells of the weaker oysters, washing the meat and contaminants from the open shells and the contaminants from the surface of the closed shells,

and separating the contaminants and the meat from the closed shells. 2. A method as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said washing being carried out with salted ice water. 3. A method of treating oysters comprising the steps of tumbling a plurality of oysters in a drum so as to subject them to substantial sharp impact against an element extending substantially axially of the drum until the weaker oyster shells split open and the stronger shells are gapped, spraying the oysters with a cleaning solution while they are being tumbled, removing the cleaning solution from the oysters and with the solution marine growth loosened from the shells, silt and the meat in the opened shells, thereafter opening the gapped shells.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,683,968 9/1928 Gallison 175 2,608,716 9/1952 Harris 17-45 2,808,615 10/1957 Snow 17-45 2,818,598 1/1958 Skrmetta 179 3,037,237 6/ 1962 Lapeyre et al. 179

FOREIGN PATENTS 571,720 2/ 1924 France.

547,137 7/1932 Germany.

128,802 7/ 1919 Great Britain.

303,155 3/1929 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF SELECTIVELY SEPARATING INFERIOR OYSTERS FROM THOSE OF BETTER QUALITY COMPRISING THE STEP OF DROPPING OYSTERS AND IMPACTING SAID OYSTERS DURING THEIR DESCENT WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO COMPLETELY OPEN ONLY THE SHEELS OF THE WEAKER OYSTERS, WASHING THE MEAT AND CONTAMINANTS FROM THE OPEN SHELLS AND THE CONTAMINANTS FROM THE SURFACE OF THE CLOSED SHELLS, 